Fractal Design made their name on the strength of the Define series, minimalist
elegant tower cases that utilize noise limiting features to carve out a nice
niche in the market. They've been expanding their catalog substantially, three
more lines of cases, the Node for home theaters, the value-oriented Core series,
and the Arc which focuses more on cooling and airflow without compromising their
iconically sleek Scandinavian aesthetics.

The Arc Mini was released in 2011 along with the Define Mini, a pair of microATX towers with similar designs but differing styles. We never had the opportunity to examine the original but if the R2 can live up to the Define Mini it would be in excellent company  it's currently SPCR's best performing microATX case.

The Arc Mini R2.

The Mini R2 lacks the grace and sophistication of the Define series. There
isn't a hint of aluminum nor is there a door at all, but rather a more generic
looking plastic bezel with fine lines on the surface mimicking brushed aluminum.
This is the first Fractal case we've used with a side window, something added
to entice enthusiasts who love gazing into their systems' innards to admire
their cabling or lighting, or to simply check if anything has caught fire.

At 16 inches, the Arc Mini R2 is slightly taller than the Define Mini. Both
cases are unusually tall and large for a microATX case  add an inch or
two and you're in ATX territory. Inside you'll find bays for six 3.5 inch drives
and two 2.5 inch drives, three stock fans of a possible seven, a three-speed
fan controller, dust filters, removable drive trays and cages, and support for
a large radiator if you're into watercooling. What you won't find are noise
damping mats and foam. Aside from the fan controller, the Arc Mini R2 isn't
particularly noise-conscious.

The box.

Accessories.

The packaging and accessories included with the case are minimal. A black cardboard
box stuffed in one of the drive trays contains the necessary screws and standoffs,
along with a few plastic zip-ties. It's less of an accessory box as it is a
necessity box.